Today we’d like to introduce you to Dareus White.
Dareus, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I like to think I started as a child. Super young. Even before I could fully form a sentence. I have always been creative and used multiple outlets to convey my creativity. When I was in the 6th grade, my sister had a camera she never used, and I would have her pose like a model while I snapped away, as if I really knew what I was doing. From that moment on, I knew that photography would be one of my creative outlets. Honestly, it wasn’t much of a conscious decision, I just kind of knew I enjoyed it, so I continued to do it. In high school, I really began to take it seriously and started doing research. I’m completely self-taught. I’ve never really been a fan of “textbook” photography that forces you to follow all the standard rules of exposure, f-stop, etc. I appreciate being able to operate off of what my eyes see and do what I feel at the moment. I received a lot of compliments on my work very early on, which boosted my confidence to grow in my craft. It’s crazy because I was never looking for validation on my work, I just enjoyed the art of it. The more photoshoots I did, the better my skill became. By the time I had enrolled in college and moved to Atlanta, I had gotten comfortable with the photographer title and the idea of charging for my services, so I started “Shot By White,” which evolved into “DBD Studios.”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No. Not at all. I don’t think its ever a smooth road. Not 100% at least. I’ve faced plenty of challenges, but none of them ever made me want to stop moving. “Find a way or make one.” That’s the key for me. I always find a way to keep moving, no matter how many bumps I encounter on the road. It’s easier said than done but done nonetheless. There have been moments when I wanted to sell my camera because I felt like photography wasn’t for me anymore. There have been times when I didn’t have a single client for months, and other times when business was booming. Gotta be Abele to ride the waves and roll with the punches.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
DBD Studios is mostly photography, but my services also consist of graphic design and personal brand development. I specialize in photography, so it’s what I’m mostly known for. What sets me and my work apart is… me. Only I have my creative eye, and my thought process, so my work will always be set apart. Like I mentioned before, I don’t like to follow the standard rules of photography, so that too naturally sets me apart.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could have done anything differently, I would have started taking it seriously earlier than I did. That’s the only thing I would change. Other than that, I have appreciated the journey so far.
Contact Info:
- Email: dareusbydesign@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/dxdstudios
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